The concept of time is very important in advertising. Your ad may be fabulously persuasive, but if it arrives at the wrong time, you still won’t get the sale. In advertising, timing is everything.
Your ad may arrive at the right time, but if the reader finds it slow-going, he or she will give up (or fall asleep) before you get a chance to ask for the sale. In advertising, time matters. And it pays off when you know how to take advantage of this fact.
Urgency
Urgency is important in advertising, because human beings are lazy. The advertiser might want us to “click here now,” but we’d much rather “click here later.”
Of course, your prospects never get around to coming back later. In fact, “later” is always some point in the future. It’s never “later,” because it’s always “now.” In other words, if you can’t persuade a person to click on your ad “now,” what makes you think you’ll be able to persuade them later?
The way to get past this natural human tendency, is to impart a sense of urgency. There are other articles in this Blog that talk about techniques you can use to create urgency (e.g. discount the price, but place a strict time limit on the reduction).
In this article, I’m going to discuss the words and phrases you can use to reinforce these techniques.
Words that impart urgency
The word “urgent” is an example of a word that imparts urgency. It can work especially well as a headline. For example…
Urgent notice! You must see this now…
This striking sentence must be followed up with something that is genuinely urgent. If you followed up the above headline with “Now we sell toasters,” your reader is likely to lose interest.
The above headline is also less suited to the beginning of an ad, that its end. Let’s say you’ve written an ad that makes a good case for buying your product. You’ve got the prospect to the point where they’re ready to buy.
Introducing the above headline at that point will impart a feeling that you’re about to given the reader some bad news. What you must then do, is give the reader some good news. And this news must also justify the “urgency” your headline claims. For example…
Urgent Notice! You Must See This Now…
Right now — today only — you get all five products for only $49. That’s a massive saving of $76! But please hurry, because this offer expires tonight. You must click here and order now.
This paragraph screams urgency, doesn’t it? It offers a tremendous saving as a reward for taken the action the advertiser wants you to take.
Of course, this technique and these words can only work if the reader has already accepted that the products in question are worth $125. The rest of the ad has to work hard at getting the prospect to believe the products are worth $125, and have the reader still want them at this price.
The “urgency” section then provides a large dollop of excitement, along with the threat of lost opportunity, that has a good chance of prodding the buyer into action.
Hurry
The above example used the words “please hurry.” In this context, the writer is literally pleading with the reader. By doing so, the writer implies that he/she has the reader’s best interests at heart.
Other phrases you can use in this context are…
- You must act now
- Don’t miss out
- Rush
- Strictly limited
- Today only
- Offer expires on…
These words are designed to imply scarcity. Either time, the discounted price, or the product itself will not be available for long. These words generate action, but only in people who have already decided to buy the product. Urgency only works with a buyer.
Urgency reinforcement
Words that reinforce urgency in your ad work on a subconscious level. They imply urgency and immediacy, helping you set up for the urgency section where you give the reason for acting immediately. For example…
- As soon as
- Just
- Now
- Going to versus About to
These words add value to your overall ad by injecting a little extra excitement. They’re also serve to reduce the impact of a delay between placing the order, and receiving the item (if there is one).
As soon as
Use “as soon as” instead of when or once, as demonstrated in this example…
When you get your Pro Marketing Pack…
Once you get your Pro Marketing Pack…
As soon as you get your Pro Marketing Pack…
The first of these sentences implies that some time will pass before the pack arrives. This serves to dampen enthusiasm among impulse buyers, because it removes the essential element of instant gratification.
The second sentence implies even more time will pass, and all but the most keen will find it hard to respond enthusiastically.
The phrase “as soon as” implies a far shorter period of time, perhaps even no time at all. It adds excitement to the sentence, rather than removing it.
Just
Advertisers often use “just” when they mean “only.” Yet this word is best employed with respect to time. For example…
Earn $5,000 in one week
Earn $5,000 in 7 days
Earn $5,000 in just 7 days
Notice how each sentence seems to shorten the length of time it takes to earn the promised $5,000? The fact that each sentence has exactly the same meaning is irrelevant.
Now
The word “now” implies immediately, and injects urgency into an instruction. For example…
Want to get yours? Then click here now!
The word “now” can also be used to imply that something has changed, leading the prospect to deduce even more benefits are available than previously. This is taken for granted by the prospect, even though the advertiser never explicitly says so. For example…
Now you no longer need to wait for your ad displays
Did you need to wait for your ad displays before? Maybe you did, and maybe you didn’t. The inclusion of the word “Now” certainly implies that you did, but something has changed. This creates the feeling that there is new benefit on offer. What’s great about this format, is it’s the reader who comes to that conclusion on his/her own. As a result, he or she will accept it.
Going to versus About to
The phrase “going to,” implies a longer wait than “about to.” For example…
I’m going to explain how to…
I’m about to explain how to…
Notice the difference? The phrase “going to” is less concrete, as if the promised event is too far in the future to be certain.
The phrase “about to,” implies the promised event will happen very soon. It’s far more concrete, which makes it more powerful.
There are countless examples like this, where your choice of words has a dramatic impact on the overall effectiveness of your ad. This example shows you what to look for when you consider which words and phrases to use.
Timing
They say timing is everything, and they’re right. Your ad can be shown to the same person 100 times, and have absolutely no impact. And then, for no apparent reason, the person buys on the 101st showing.
Why? Because the timing was right. The only way to make sure the timing is right for you, is to get your message out there as often as possible.
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